'Pawn Stars' Drastic Weight Loss Makes Me Trust Infomercials

Corey Harrison, center, before Lap-BandAs if you don't see enough billboards, print ads, infomercials, and pamphlets in the doctor's office extolling the virtues of the Lap-Band for weight loss, it's now becoming a celebrity-endorsed way to lose weight. Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison of History's Pawn Stars has come out to announce a 115-pound weight loss due to his Lap-Band surgery. Surely his rotund sidekick, Chumlee, is next under the knife.

Although it's not exactly an under-the-knife type procedure. In fact, it's as easy as picking up the phone and dialing 1-800-GET-THIN if you're to believe all the ads that seem to be strategically hanging over your local McDonald's.

But what the heck is Lap-Band surgery? And is something that seems to be so simple actually safe? I need to know!

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Weight loss surgery is a life-saver for many people, and any side effects are worth putting an end to a long struggle with weight. The Lap-Band has risen in popularity because it is less invasive than gastric bypass surgery and more effective (in some people) than diet and exercise. But having the stomach binding ring inserted inside of you via laparoscopic surgery and adjusted so you can't overeat without throwing up does force you to diet. Your motivation is now, "Oh my god, I don't want to get sick" rather than "Just one cheeseburger isn't going to hurt me." Because from all accounts, it does hurt when you overindulge with the Lap-Band squeezing your stomach.

While the surgery part of the Lap-Band is an outpatient procedure, any surgery has risks. While rare, it is possible to die undergoing the Lap-Band surgery, as happened earlier this year in Los Angeles. Which means you must search for a qualified surgical team before undergoing this procedure. After the surgery you're going to feel uncomfortable, bloated, and some sensitivity at the site of the device where your doctor will perform future adjustments (a relatively painless procedure, done with a needle insertion). You will be on a liquid diet, then puree diet, then soft foods for some time. After that, you need to follow a healthy diet and get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. Kind of sounds like a normal weight loss routine, right?

Regardless of how the message is getting out there, Corey is an example of its success. He's no longer at risk for diabetes, and he is off medication he had to take before the procedure. While I'm not one to order up health care during my midnight "Perry Mason" marathon, it does seem that this overexposed product is helping people out.